Become a Professional Gamer

Professional gaming has exploded in the last decade and has now become a viable means of income for many people across the world. Professional gaming is hyper-competitive industry and not everyone can make the cut. While many of us enjoy playing games, becoming a professional gamer requires an intense level of skill, dedication, talent, and work. With dedication and the right approach, you can begin your journey to becoming one of the best gamers in the world.

Steps

Exploring Different Games

1. Play a multitude of games. Unless you already excel at a game, you'll have to find which types of games that you enjoy playing. Some of the most popular kinds of games that exist include first-person shooters (FPS), real-time strategies (RTS), multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA), card games, and fighting games. Try out different titles and determine which games you like the best.
   • Popular MOBAs include League of Legends, DOTA 2, and Heroes of the Storm.
   • A popular real-time strategy game is Starcraft 2.
   • Popular competitive FPS games include Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, and Overwatch.
2. Choose a gaming platform. Certain games, like Super Smash Brothers and Counter-Strike, are only available for one gaming platform. Possible gaming platforms include the Wii U, Xbox, Playstation, or the PC. Decide if you like to use the controller or a mouse and keyboard. Look at various titles for different platforms and choose a game on a platform that you like to use.
3. Determine a genre of game that you excel at. Once you've played a variety of games, you'll have a good understanding of which games that you're best at. If a game comes naturally to you, or if you really enjoy playing a particular style of game, continue to pursue that specific genre. If you're good at micro-managing a lot of units on the screen and have a strategic mindset, you should play an RTS. If you have really good game awareness and aim, try playing an FPS. Figure out what game genre suits you and pursue that game.
   • If you have a good understanding of sports strategy, you could play sports games professional like FIFA.
   • If you're really good at a control, look into different fighting games like Ultra Street Fighter IV and Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.
4. Determine if you will entertain or compete. While "professional gamer" typically refers to people who compete in tournaments for money, the term has evolved over the last decade. Some people now make a living broadcasting their gameplay and interacting with fans as streamers. While not a professional gamer in a traditional sense, being a streamer is a way that you can make money professionally by playing games. Consider being an entertainer or streamer rather than a professional competitive gamer if you can't find a game that you're good at.

Honing Your Skills

1. Research popular techniques and tactics. There is a multitude of different content on the internet that helps prospective pro gamers work on their techniques. Look on websites like YouTube for video tutorials on how to do popular techniques and read articles about different tactics or strategies that you can use. The more knowledge that you have over all aspects of the game that you play, the better you'll be at the game.
2. Watch videos of professional games. A great resource for knowledge in professional gaming tactics exists in professional tournaments and games that you can watch online. Find recently recorded content and pay close attention to lead players in games from around the world. Watch their strategies and try to extrapolate what they do in your own play style.
3. Talk to other players. Build your network of friends within the community that you're in. Talk to gamers that play the same game and try to pick their brain about skills and tactics that they use. If you're particularly impressed by a player, talk to them to get an understanding of their mentality and strategy and try to incorporate their tactics into your own gameplay. Be open to criticism so that you can improve.
   • Use in-game chat and friend lists to communicate to players that you play with in the game.
   • You may also be able to contact other players via social media or on message boards.
4. Practice playing the game. Becoming a professional gamer isn't a part-time hobby. Many players have reached the peak of efficiency and have played for thousands of hours. This often translates to muscle memory that can't be duplicated with natural skill. Professional gamers typically stay on a regimented schedule, practicing anywhere from 6 to 12 hours a day. In order to stay competitive, you'll have to be able to stick to a similar schedule.
   • Challenge yourself and play against people who are at your skill level or above your skill level to improve.
   • Other than playing the main game, there are often mods for games that allow you to drill specific techniques. Take advantage of these mods when practicing.

Going Pro

1. Join a team. If you plan on playing a team game, it's important that you begin to play with a set group of players. Look at online message boards or use chat programs to friend other players. Make sure to use a communication device like Discord, Teamspeak, or Skype so that you can talk about strategies and tactics. Start to play regularly with the same players so that you can get used to their play style. Sometimes individual skill matters less than good team chemistry.
   • Even if you are playing a single player game, like a fighting game, being able to converse and communicate with other players who want to help build your skills will help you improve dramatically.
   • Playing with a set team will help develop your communication skills and will give you valuable experience.
2. Join a gaming league. Gaming leagues allow a team to compete in a seasonal competition that leads up to a tournament for a championship. There are also other features that some gaming leagues have, like the ability to find other teams to practice or "scrim" against. Look online for a gaming league that has a season for the game that you like to play and register for the upcoming season.
   • Popular leagues include KeSPA, ESL, ESEA, and MLG.
3. Compete in online tournaments. The reward for winning an online tournament is recognition and sometimes a cash prize. Find tournaments for the game that you like to play online and follow the registration process. For some games, there will be an entry fee that you may have to pay to compete.
   • Popular gaming tournaments include the League of Legends World Championships, Intel Extreme Masters, and Heroes of the Dorm.
4. Go to LAN tournaments. Going to tournaments in-person is the next step in becoming a professional gamer. Once you consistently win online, the natural progression is to compete in live tournaments. Start off with smaller local tournaments until you increase your skill so that you can compete at a higher level.
   • Even if you don't qualify or can't register for LAN tournaments, attending them as a spectator can give you insight into the environment of a LAN tournament.
   • The largest gaming tournaments include The International, Smite World Championship, LoL World Championship, COD World Championship, and the WGL Grand Finals.
5. Try to get sponsorship. Getting sponsored by a company means that they will pay you a fee or give you free merchandise to advertise their product. Advertising could include having links to their products in video descriptions, live-stream feeds, or wearing their merchandise when you're in the public eye. Sponsors typically require a conversation or presentation about how you bring value to the brand, how many viewers or fans you have, and where and when you can advertise their brand for them. Contact different brands and talk about sponsorship opportunities to get started.
   • If you join an established gaming team, they will already have some sponsors for their players.
   • Great sponsors for professional gamers include clothing companies, energy drink companies, hardware companies, software companies, and computer accessory companies.
6. Build up your online profile. The more that other players and fans of the game know you, the more likely your name will be thrown around in gaming conversations. Be available and present and build a profile online. Update your Twitter regularly and let people know when you're streaming your gameplay. Network with fans and other players via social media and be willing to do things like photo shoots and interviews.
   • Try to talk to popular players for the game you're trying to specialize in by reaching out to them on social media.
   • Meet with other players and fans at live tournaments and LANs.
7. Stay respectful and centered. Being a professional gamer means being somewhat of a celebrity. That means that everything that you say or post on social media will most likely be saved forever. Bad comments or behavior like cheating could get you banned for life and ruin your career. Always stay humble and aim to learn as much as you can from your peers and competitors. Avoid getting overly angry when you lose and try to center yourself and concentrate even when you're under a lot of pressure.

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Sources and Citations

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